Former Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has petitioned the Bombay High Court, requesting safeguarding against coercive measures, among other reliefs, in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money laundering case filed against him.

The ED's money laundering case against Wankhede stems from a 2023 FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The FIR alleges a demand for a Rs 25 crore bribe from various accused individuals, including family members of Shah Rukh Khan, to allegedly spare his son Aryan Khan in connection with the 2021 Cordelia Cruise Drugs case.

In the petition filed by Advocate Karan Jain on his behalf, Wankhede has additionally requested an interim order to shield him from coercive actions, a halt to the ongoing investigation, and the nullification of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) lodged against him.

The petition argues that the ED's case against Wankhede was initiated in retaliation to his complaint against NCB's Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh filed in a Delhi court under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, as well as his contempt case against Singh before the Delhi High Court.

On February 6, the Delhi Court requested an action taken report from the Delhi Police regarding Sameer Wankhede's complaint against IPS Officer and NCB DDG Gyaneshwar Singh. As per a report from Mid-Day, Wankhede's complaint was closed on February 5 by the National Commission of Scheduled Castes. This closure was based on a Delhi Police report stating that Wankhede's allegations could not be substantiated. Furthermore, Wankhede's contempt case was recently dismissed by the Delhi High Court.

The petition asserts that the abrupt actions taken by the ED in response to the CBI FIR and the ECIR are indicative of vendetta and malice directed towards Wankhede. Wankhede alleges that Singh and other influential individuals have utilized agencies such as the CBI, ED, and NCB to orchestrate a conspiracy against him.

Wankhede, a 2008-batch IRS officer from the reserved category, previously served as the head of the NCB Zonal Unit. Notably, he spearheaded raids at the location where the Cordelia Cruise Ship was docked on October 2, 2021.

Aryan Khan, arrested in the drug bust in October 2021, was subsequently exonerated by the NCB. The NCB subsequently filed a complaint to the CBI against Wankhede, leading to the registration of CBI's case against him and others last year. CBI registered a case against Wankhede for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crores to refrain from implicating Shah Rukh Khan's son in the Cordelia Cruise Drugs case.

The Bombay HC granted him interim protection from arrest in his petition seeking quashing of the case.

Aryan Khan, who was arrested in the drug bust in October 2021, was later cleared of charges by the NCB. Following this, the NCB lodged a complaint with the CBI against Wankhede, resulting in the registration of a case against him and others last year. The CBI initiated a case against Wankhede on allegations of demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crores to refrain from implicating Shah Rukh Khan's son in the Cordelia Cruise Drugs case. Seeking the quashing of this case, Wankhede petitioned the Bombay High Court, which granted him interim protection from arrest.